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Music Review: Idina Menzel’s Holiday Wishes #HolidayWishes #O2O

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

It is the Holiday season. I like to think the Holiday season begins in October with Halloween. Immediately afterwards, you have Dia de los Muertos, All Saints Day, Thanksgiving, then Hanukkah, Festivus, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Eve, 3 Kings Day, and then Valentine’s Day will roll right along. Whew…It is a lot of celebrating, but you know what? I don’t mind having something to celebrate, especially on dark days, when the sun has taken a break, the leaves fall, and the world tries to manufacture a bit of warmth to get us through. I don’t know about you, but I get such a overwhelming melancholy in December, I rely on my many traditions to cope. Celebrations with friends, gazing at lights, sending Christmas Cards filled with love to those far away. All the while, trying to curb the urge to spend, spend, spend and eat, eat, eat.

When One2One Network invited me to review Idina Menzel’s new album Holiday Wishes, I jumped at the opportunity. No, I’ve not tired of her version of “Let it Go,” nor do I think her voice is too nasally for my liking. Much like the power ballads of the 80s, I am unashamed to admit I like it when she builds up the song and belts it out.

Listening to the album, I know the words to the songs because I grew up singing many of them. If you are someone who likes to sing along to music, then this album will be for you, even if the arrangements may not be too familiar. Her duet with Michael Buble for Baby It’s Cold Outside is fun, but then again, I loved it when Buddy the Elf sings it, too. It is a great song! I will also say that I was not happy about her performance for All I Want For Christmas. It is a much beloved favorite because of Mariah Carey in her heyday. I think my favorite on her album is What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve? This is the song I can sing in my car, pretending I’m in a glittering gown on a stage, singing with a piano accompaniment. Immediately following, December Prayer…this is the one you listen in the dark of night when fat snow trickles down from the unseen clouds above. “Hear the song within the silence. See the beauty when there is nothing there. Sing a song within a silence that hope and love are everywhere…” River is also a tremendous favorite of mine. I’ll let you take a listen and form your own opinion. Overall, I know some of her songs will make it to my playlist and my girls will grow up listening to the songs I heard as a child, but they will also hear her voice, too. You can check out her album now at iTunes : http://bit.ly/IMHolidayWishes and on Amazon: http://bit.ly/IDINAHOLIDAY. (or you can listen on Spotify, too!)

About Idina Menzel & Holiday Wishes

Holiday Wishes, a Christmas album recorded by Tony Award-winning singer/actor Idina Menzel, is out now on Warner Bros. Records.The album was produced by Grammy Award-winner Walter Afanasieff (Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey) and features such classic favorites as “All I Want For Christmas Is You” and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” as well as Joni Mitchell’s Christmas-themed “River,” one of Menzel’s favorites. Another highlight is a duet with international superstar Michael Bublé on “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” An exclusive Target edition of Holiday Wishes features two bonus tracks, including “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”.

Idina’s career has traversed stage, film, television, and music. She was most recently heard as Elsa in Disney’s global box-office smash Frozen, in which she sings the film’s Oscar-winning song “Let It Go.” After her performance of the multi-platinum song at the 86th annual Academy Awards, she made history as the first person with both a Billboard Top 10 hit and a Tony Award for acting.

Idina currently stars as Elizabeth in the original Broadway production of If/Then.